Filiolus Opus
by speakup22
Summary: It all comes down to a question of faith...
1. Chapter 1

Filiolus Opus

Chapter 1

Special Agent Seeley Booth was a picture of serenity despite the hell that surrounded him. His FBI windbreaker flapped in the breeze, and his sunglasses glinted in the midday sun as he stood framed by the vast wilderness around him. The desert seemed to stretch away from him forever, only ending where it meet the crystal cerulean sky.

But he hardly seemed to notice the oppressive heat and the harsh surroundings. He was in his world now. All that existed to him was inside that 20ft box, cordoned off from the outside world by the ominous yellow tape. However, the one thing that he did notice was the absence of something from this bubble of his, or in actuality, someone.

It was times like these that a niggling doubt began to pervade his mind. He even wondered how he had managed before she had come into his life. But he quickly brushed this off, reminding himself that he had been doing fine, and also aware that he was one step away from the line of thought that began to wonder if he could now manage without her…

_Forget that. This is what I'm good at…body was found by complete chance, killer didn't ever expect it to be found…a deep grave, at least six foot, there was no panic in the killer's operation, probably dug at night, not because he was afraid of being seen, but because the heat would have made it an impossible task during the day…the body was carefully wrapped in some sort of cloth, normally associated with a compassionate act, but the anonymous burial out here would suggest otherwise…everything about this was so meticulous, cold, calculated, there has to be something significant about the location, it was no accident…_

Agent Booth was finally lifted out of his reverie by the noise that he had been waiting for. The Jeffersonian's Medico-Legal Bus looked slightly surreal in the vast nothingness of its backdrop. It ground to a halt just short of the tape, and three familiar faces descended into the sun. They all took a step back as the heat hit them like a brick wall. _Typical_ Booth thought trying to suppress a smile, _no doubt they had state of the art air conditioning on their spaceship_.

Booth held up the yellow tape as Dr Temperance Brennan joined him in the ring. Dr Brennan, the Jeffersonian's leading forensic anthropologist, his unofficial partner for the last year, the 'she' that he had been thinking about earlier. Dropping the tape behind her and leaving Jack and Zach stranded on the outside, he grinned at her,

"Good morning Bones"

"If by the slight sarcasm that I detect in your tone, and the fact that it is clearly not morning anymore, you are intending to imply that I am in some way late, I would like to remind you that we have important jobs at the Jeffersonian and cannot just drop everything we're doing and come running whenever you call…"

Agent Booth couldn't help but think of all the times when he had done exactly that, and his warm smile faded. "Nice to see you too"

_Why do I do that everytime_ Brennan thought, feeling slightly embarrassed. She had a habit of jumping onto the defensive even when Booth was just trying to be nice. She was also thinking exactly what he was, about all the times when she called, and he came running.

"Sorry…I uh…I would have been earlier but I had to wash my hair"

Brennan's favourite smile came flooding back across Booth's face, "Bones, was that a joke? Slightly incorrect use of 'washing my hair' but it was pretty good!"

Although at first being at odds with him had not really affected her, as their partnership had developed she had noticed that she had started chastising herself for annoying him. Now she really found it difficult not to want to be in his good books. Thankful for her recovery she returned her attention to the crime scene.

"So what have we got?"

"I thought you'd never ask…A team of geologists discovered the body yesterday taking deep layer soil samples. They noticed an unusual amount of adipo…adipoc"

"Adipocere"

"Right, adipocere in their latest sample and sent for us. The body appears to be wrapped in some sort of cloth, but that's as far as we got. I know how you feel about me touching anything of yours…"

Booth flushed as he replayed what he had just said back to himself. He stole a quick glance at Brennan to see if she had noticed, but he couldn't tell. She did seem to be avoiding eye contact and her cheeks maybe looked a little redder than usual, but that might just be the heat. Attempting to recover his normally unflappable composure he continued,

"So now it's your turn, go ahead, do your thing, work your magic..."

Booth took a step back as Dr Brennan flowered into work mode. _Flowered was exactly right _he thought, she really did become a different person. All the social awkwardness and insecurities disappeared as she stepped into her element. He could of sworn that she actually glowed. He could watch her work for hours.

"Right Zach, I want photos of everything, careful with the flash not to disturb anything. Jack, I want soil samples and any particulates you can work with. I want to know how long this body has been buried for. Lets get everything we can here, and then get the body back to the lab as soon as possible. I don't want to unwrap it here."

With that she jumped down into the grave. It wasn't long however before a familiar call came excitedly from the depths.

"Booth"

"Yes Bones" He peered down into the semi darkness.

"The body appears to be wrapped in linen, and judging by the pungent aroma has been treated with spices. You know, in Jewish..."

"I know Bones" She watched his face drop. "That was how they buried…you know who…that famous Jew"

She was about to launch into a tirade about religion but checked herself. "It could mean nothing you know" Brennan knew that there could be personal implications for Booth on this one, and he had a tendency to take his work very personally as it was. Although it was his passion that she particularly admired, she knew he had to be careful that it didn't take over. And she liked to think that she was the one who stopped this from happening.

"Your right, lets wait and see"

The sun was beginning to set when Dr Brennan and her team had finished working the scene. They all looked exhausted from the heat, but also strangely upbeat. _Maybe they enjoy this a bit too much _thought Booth, _but then again it's not like I have much outside of work either_. They set off towards the bus, but Booth didn't move.

"Are you coming?" Brennan started, seeing the slightly vacant expression on Booth's face.

"Yeah, there's just one thing that's still bothering me…what were the odds of this body ever being found?"

"About 3000 million to 1" Zach chimed in.

Booth smiled, he thought he was being rhetorical but he should have known better with the 'squint squad' around.

"Right, whatever, now what are the chances there's another one out there…"

For the first time Booth allowed his gaze to open out beyond his 20ft world, out into the vast expanse of desert that surrounded him. The other's followed his gaze, for once at a loss for anything to say.

Chapter 2

As Dr Brennan stood in the elevator the file she was carrying burned heavy in her hands. She had worked through the night on the body, and despite having barely slept she couldn't wait to get to Booth and show him her results. However, she also carried the knowledge that he wasn't going to like what was in the file. Not that he ever did, but this time it was going to be even harder. This apprehension made her pause just outside his door, but taking a deep breath she knocked and walked in…

Brennan's heart sank when she saw that the office was empty. Although she had been anxious about his reaction, she was also anxious to share what she had found. Sometimes the people she worked with just assumed that it didn't get to her, that it was easy for her, but she felt it just like everyone else. In fact Booth was the only one who saw this, and that was why she had rushed over to his office instead of waiting for him to come to her. She wanted to be with him, in his office, in his space.

She sat down in his chair, sinking back into its comfortable arms. It was still warm, he must have already been in. Although Booth often teased her about spending her entire life in the lab, she knew that he was the first in and the last to leave. But where was he now?

Her attention was caught by a piece of paper on his desk. Only half reading it at first, conscious of being intrusive, the words suddenly caught up with her and she gasped in disbelief. A thousand emotions flooded over Brennan all at once. _This can't be right_…

Agent Booth had also spent the night in his office going through missing persons records based on the preliminary findings. It wasn't a lot to go on, but he couldn't sit around doing nothing. When morning came, frustrated by his progress, he decided he could do with some 'Bones medicine'. As he arrived at the lab Angela, Zack and Jack were already hard at work.

"Morning people, where's Bones?"

Jack and Zack mumbled something, barely acknowledging him, instead staying glued to their microscopes. The only one to stop what they were doing was Angela,

"Morning Booth, we thought she was with you, how are you anyway?"

Booth had always liked Angela, Dr Brennan's forensic artist, she was a people person, often a breath of fresh in here he thought.

"I've been better…I would be better if I could find Bones"

Angela couldn't help but smirk. Being the self-appointed matchmaker in their slightly odd and dysfunctional family, she never missed even the subtlest innuendo. Booth grinned, he should know better than that by now, he really had to be careful what he said around Angela.

"You…uh…you know what I mean"

"Sure, whatever, you tell that to Dr Freud…you might as well stick around, you know what she's like, hell freezing over wouldn't keep her away from work'

…when in burst Brennan still holding the letter.

"What the hell is this?"

Zach almost fell off his chair. None of them had ever really heard Dr Brennan shout before. They had no idea what was going on. Booth did.

"Bones.."

"No, don't Bones me…Tell me this isn't yours"

Booth had moved in towards her, his hand reaching out to calm her down, "Look Bones, can we talk about this somewhere private…"

She struck out at his approaching arm, still shouting "No, I think everyone has a right to know, don't you?"

"Sweetie, what's going on?"

"Do you want to tell them Booth, or should I?"

"Please Bones…don't…" Booth had sunk back, his protest almost feeble.

"I'll read it out shall I…I Special Agent Seeley Booth do hereby request immediate reassignment to the Chicago Field Office…signed Special Agent Seeley Booth…"

"Booth, is this true?"

"Look I can explain…Bones…I was going to tell you…I had no choice" Again Booth moved towards her, reaching out to her, "Rebecca's boyfriend has got a new job in Chicago so they're moving in two weeks, she only told me a couple of days ago, and you know what my rights are like, I can't do anything to stop them, she told me if I want to see Parker I am going to have to move to Chicago, I wanted to tell you but I didn't know how to, look this was the hardest but also the easiest decision I've ever had to make, Parker is the only thing I've got in my life, I can't lose him…"

"I don't care" Brennan voice finally cracked, the shouting diminishing to a whisper, tears began to well up in her eyes, "You can't leave me…leave us…I'm not allowing you to go"

Dropping the letter on the ground she turned and stormed out, knocking an unfortunate lab assistant flying on her way. The others were silent, nobody dared move, not quite believing what they had just witnessed. Booth was the first to break the silence,

"Look guys, I'm sorry, I didn't want you to find out like this, there's just nothing…" He looked awful, and Booth never looked awful.

"We know, it's the logical decision"

Everyone turned to look at Zach. _Where did that come?_ not one of them would have expected Zach to be the one to comfort Booth, not even Zach himself.

"She's never going to forgive me is she?"

This time not even Zach had an answer.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 3

As Temperence Brennan finally came up for air after hoping to drown in the deep burgundy sea of her glass, for the first time since she had arrived she allowed her surroundings to wash across her. The slightly eclectic decorations that adorned the walls may have looked odd to her at first, but now this place was like her second home. She glanced around the fairly empty room, she remembered the first time Booth had brought her here…

Booth. She bit her lip. Booth was exactly who she was trying to forget, although she did wander why she had come here, to their place. She had just seemed to arrive here, not really aware of where her legs were taking her. _Perhaps she had come here precisely because it reminded her of him, because she felt comforted by his lingering presence, his soft smell, that damn song on the jukebox, and this was something that he couldn't take with him if he left…_

So deep was the ocean of her thoughts that she barely noticed someone take the seat next to her,

"I thought I might find you here…"

But no words would come out. She didn't even move, still staring blankly into her glass. She wasn't even surprised to see him, he seemed to know her so well, so well that sometimes it scared her, sometimes she thought better than she knew herself.

"Look Temperence, I'm so sorry..."

"No Booth don't, I'm the one that should be apologising, it was just…uh…I just wasn't expecting it, that's all" finally finding her voice, although still not able to look up into his eyes.

"Bones, nothings going to change if that's what you're worried about. You'll still be working with the FBI, they'll just find you another agent…and I'll make sure you still have full particip…"

He stopped as she finally turned her head towards him, her glistening eyes reaching longingly into his. _And sometimes he didn't know her at all_…

"Of course it's going to change, you don't get it do you?"

"Well, what is it then?"

Brennan took a deep breath, she couldn't hold on to it any longer. Reaching deep down inside herself she finally surrendered, closed her eyes and turned the key of her locked heart…

"It's just…well…you're not going to be here…I don't care about work…I don't want another FBI agent, Booth I want you to stay…that's what's wrong…"

In that moment everything around them seemed to slide away, the gentle bustle of the bar disappearing. Brennan found herself being transported by her confession, feeling the weight of her existence falling away from her as she rose in exultation. They stood on the edge of time itself. She closed her eyes. It was intoxicating, but she couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She gasped out loud, desperately trying to draw in the air around her sending her crashing back down…

Opening her eyes again she found Booth looking at her, a slight mist of concern clouding his features. One by one her senses returned. The music from the jukebox came flooding back into her ears, it was strangely familiar, as if the same song had been stuck on loop destined to play forever. Suddenly she felt very self conscious.

"I think normally you are supposed to say something now"

Booth couldn't help but smile at his partner, they both seemed to have an unnerving ability to bring each other out of even the most intense moments and darkest conversations. But he knew she deserved something special, she had given him a little bit of her, hell she had given a whole lot of her, and now he needed to give something back. Looking down into his hands as if what he wanted to say was written on his skin, inscribed upon his very being he began,

"When Parker came into my life he saved me, made me believe that there was still good in this world, he gave me something to keep fighting for. But I still didn't think that there was anything left in me worth fighting for till I met you"

He glanced up almost nervously, trying his best to grin "I don't know if I'm ready to lose that again…"

"Well don't then" she heard the petulance in her own voice. _This wasn't going to get them anywhere_. "Look Booth, I understand, I really do, but just promise me one thing?"

Booth looked at her doubtingly, normally he would accept without hesitation, but this time he feared she was asking for something that wasn't his to give.

"Promise me that you won't give up…that you won't stop fighting this…that you'll look for another way?"

Now that he could promise to. "Bones, I never said that I had given up…"

Chapter 4

Finally a peace seemed to have descended on Dr Brennan and Agent Booth, well a truce at least for now. Both knew that this wasn't resolved yet, but they had a case, and for now that was all that mattered.

"Right then Bones, give it to me"

"Give you what? I don't know what that means" Brennan's face displayed that-now-all-too-familiar quizzical look, that had become one of Booth's favourites.

"What you found, the reason you came to see me earlier…"

Booth watched as the engines began to once again fire up in Dr Brennan, admittedly a little slower than usual, but soon enough she was back again. All the worry and pain seemed to fade away as the glow returned to her face. In some ways Booth envied her ability to put everything else aside as she sublimated herself into her work. Despite all that training he had had as a sniper she was still better at it than him.

Instinctively opening the file in front of her, Temperence began "After unwrapping the body the cursory examination suggested it was that of a male, around 5'10", aged between 18 and 24. The bone structure of the skull would suggest a Caucasian, but I've got Ange working on that at the moment. She should have a face by the morning…"

"Great. That should help narrow down the endless pile of missing person's reports on my desk"

"Particulates on the cloth allowed Hodgins to establish that the body has been buried just over a year, and from the decomposition, although made difficult by the embalmment, I would estimate that he was dead another month or two before that. The initial exam gave no indication as to cause of death, but after Zach had cleaned the bones…"

She cut herself short. That niggling doubt that she had felt outside his office this morning had returned, like someone had tied a knot in her stomach. _I wonder if this is what Booth is talking about when he's always going on about a gut feeling_? Booth noticed the hesitant look that seemed to have engulfed her face like a dark cloud.

"What's up Bones?"

"Once Zach had cleaned the bones we were able to establish that the victim had unusual wounds to his hands and his feet, most likely inflicted prior to death. There was evidence of both metal shards and wooden splinters in the surrounding bones. Hodgins is working on that now. It is possible, under the right circumstances that these wounds could be fatal, but just in case I'm also having them run tests for any traces of drugs or poison in the system…"

As she had said _under the right circumstances_ she had briefly stepped out of her distant, clinical persona, and had stolen a glance into Booth's focused chocolate eyes. Although it had only been momentary it was enough for him to pick up on it, and his body arrested as its implications began to crystallize in his mind.

"Hold on, your not actually suggesting that he was _crucified_ are you?" he glanced round to make sure that no one had heard him, but they were the only one's left.

"Booth, as reluctant as I am normally to speculate, the pattern of the wounds, along with the distinct method of burial do tend to coincide with religious connotations"

Booth sighed a heavy sigh, the last week had been getting progressively worse. And then there was this case. He had actually been looking forward to it, well only in the sense that he would be doing what he was good at, and doing it with Bones. But now he didn't like where this was going either. _A religious psycho going round crucifying people…people, damn it!_

"What are you thinking?" came Brennan soft voice.

"Well Bones, I'm thinking that tomorrow I'm going to have to search that whole desert looking for a needle in a haystack, I'm thinking that I'm not going to like what you find, and I'm thinking…" she placed her hand gently on his forearm causing him to pause. Slowly he pulled himself up of his stool, taking Brennan's hand in his he gently pulled her up,

"And I'm thinking that it's time to go to bed…"

**Thank you for the reviews, keep them coming please! Inspire me to write faster!**

**Ps Italics are generally character's thoughts but I tend to be a little inconsistent**


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